Sierra Club Leader To Step Down

As membership declines, group shifts course

The Sierra Club announced on Friday that long-time chairman Carl Pope will step down next year. Pope served as executive director for 17 years, the longest stint in the organization's history, before assuming chairmanship in 2010. He was criticized by club members for the partnerships he arranged with major corporations, including a $1 million deal with Clorox. Membership has fallen from 714,000 in 2005 to just more than 600,000 today. Acting executive director Michael Brune has indicated that the group will now move in a different direction. "The contract with Clorox runs out in December, and by mutual consent it will not be renewed," Brune said.